USA Health adds orthopaedic surgeon with focus on trauma
Murphy M. Walters, M.D., will focus on treating upper and lower extremity fractures, pelvic fractures, post-traumatic hip arthritis and bone infections, and will perform total hip replacements.
By Carol McPhail
cmcphail@health.southalabama.edu
USA Health Orthopaedic Surgery is expanding with the addition of Murphy M. Walters, M.D., a fellowship-trained surgeon who specializes in orthopaedic trauma.
In his new role, Walters will focus on treating upper and lower extremity fractures, pelvic fractures, post-traumatic hip arthritis and bone infections, and will perform total hip replacements. He most recently completed a one-year orthopaedic trauma fellowship at OrthoIndy in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Orthopaedic surgery, particularly orthopaedic trauma, gives me the opportunity to meet patients when they are in extreme need,” Walters said. “In the case of broken bones, the solution is generally straightforward, and it is a privilege for me to be able to help these patients.”
A Birmingham native, Walters graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he was also captain of Sewanee’s Division III football team. He earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.
Walters said he is excited to be joining an academic health system. “I would not be here had it not been for my mentors in residency,” he said. “I have always been interested in the long game. It’s an honor to be a part of the academic program where I can teach new residents the tricks of the trade.”
As a resident in Jackson, Mississippi, Walters participated in community service through mission trips. He assisted in clinic and performed pediatric orthopaedic surgeries for underserved children in Ecuador. On a trip to Honduras, he provided primary care for families, prescribed basic medicine and performed joint injections.
In 2015, Walters was one of 10 medical students selected for the Arnold G. Diethelm Scholarship by the Departments of Surgery, Pathology and Cell Biology at UAB. He and other recipients participated in a six-week surgical internship rotating through multiple specialties.
Walters said that despite orthopaedics becoming a more specialized field, he looks forward to having the resources and freedom to treat a variety of injuries. “Orthopaedic surgery is a high calling, and it is an honor to be among colleagues with similar mindsets,” he said. “I will always do what I think is right for my patients.”
Walters will see patients at the Strada Patient Care Center, 1601 Center St., Suite 3A, in Mobile, and will perform surgery at USA Health University Hospital, home to the region’s only level 1 trauma center. To make an appointment, call 251-665-8200.
